Using the Editor tools
The Groove Editor provides a number of editing tools with which to manipulate events within the Editor grid's lanes.
Multi tool
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The Multi tool is designed to provide the main functions from several editing tools. |
Specialized editing tools: Select, Draw, Erase, Mute, Velocity, Humanize, Stretch, Paint
For more detailed editing work and certain functions which are not covered by the Multi tool, it may be more convenient to use the other specialized tools.
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Dual-button tool operation When using these individual tools, it is possible to assign a tool to each of the left and right mouse buttons. When using a single-button mouse, [CTRL]-click can be used for right mouse button functionality. |
•Left-click on a tool to use it with the left mouse button.
•Right-click on a tool to use with the right mouse button. The current right mouse button tool is highlighted by the small 'R' indicator at the lower-right of the toolbar button.
Since the Multi tool itself features dual-button operation, it is not possible to use it in conjunction with other tools in this way.
The currently active tool(s) are retained between sessions – when BFD3 is reinitialized, the tools in use at the end of the previous session are still active.
Hearing events during editing
With the Preview events during editing setting enabled in the Groove Editor's Tools menu, the relevant articulation is heard when entering, selecting, moving, unmuting and altering the velocity of events.
Multi tool
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The Multi tool provides functions on the left and right mouse buttons. It combines functions of the Select tool, Erase tool and Velocity tool. |
Left mouse button functions
•Click an event to select it.
•Hold down SHIFT while clicking on another event to add it to the current selection. SHIFT-clicking an event which is already selected deselects it.
•Drag the cursor from an empty area on the editor grid to create a selection of any notes enclosed by the resulting selection box. Hold down SHIFT during this operation to add to an existing selection. Any events which are already selected are deselected.
•Clicking an event within a multiple selection changes its status to the primary selection. This means that its position and velocity is shown in the Selection Properties section at the top-left of the Groove Editor page, and any adjustment of these values occurs relative to it (see the last section for more details of the Selection Properties controls).
•Hold down ALT while clicking in an empty part of a lane to draw an event. The position and Drum/articulation of the event can be altered by dragging the event before releasing the mouse button.
Moving selected events
Drag a selection left/right to keep it on the same articulation; drag up/down to move it to other Drum/articulation lanes.
If the Snap function is activated, moved events are snapped to the current Grid resolution or to other events in the Groove – at the relevant grid division and at the original position between grid divisions. When this function is disabled, selected events can be freely moved with no snapping.
When events are moved to different sets of articulations or Drums, BFD3 attempts to maintain the arrangement. If the target Drum contains fewer articulations than the original, or if the selection is dropped so that some articulations fall outside the Drum's articulation lanes, the moved events are merged onto the Drum's available lanes.
Copying selected events
Hold down the ALT key while moving a selection in order to copy it.
Right mouse button functions
•Right-click an event to select it.
•Hold down SHIFT while right-clicking on another event to add it to the current selection. SHIFT-clicking an event which is already selected deselects it.
•Right-click and drag the cursor from an empty area on the editor grid to create a selection of any notes enclosed by the resulting selection box. Hold down SHIFT during this operation to add to an existing selection. Any events which are already selected are deselected.
•Right-click and drag up/down on a selection to adjust its velocity.
•Hold down ALT while clicking an event to delete it.
Select tool
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The Select tool operates identically to the Left mouse button functions in the Multi tool. It can, of course, be assigned to the right mouse button when not using the Multi tool. |
All events in the current Groove can be selected using the Select all Events function in the Edit menu or a keyboard shortcut if it is defined in the GUI Preferences.
Draw tool
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•Click on the grid with the Draw tool to create a new event at the cursor position. The velocity of the previous edited event is used. After entering an event, it becomes the current selection. •If the Snap function is enabled, the event's position is snapped to the nearest division at the current grid resolution or to other events in the Groove. |
•Drag left/right right before releasing the mouse button to reposition the event in time, snapping to grid divisions and other Groove events.
•Drag up/down before releasing the mouse button to adjust the event's velocity.
Using Select tool processes while the Draw tool is active
•When using the Draw tool, existing events can be clicked to select them (and SHIFT-clicked to add to an existing selection).
•While holding down the ALT key, click an empty area of the Editor grid and drag to create a selection of all events enclosed by the resulting selection box.
•Selections can also be moved or copied using drag & drop in the same way as the Select tool.
Erase tool
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•Click an event or selection of events with the Erase tool to erase it. •Click an empty area of the editor grid and drag to create a selection box: any enclosed events are deleted. |
Alternatively, a keyboard shortcut can be set up to erase the current selection when any Editor tool is active.
Mute tool
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•Click a selection of events with the Mute tool to mute the events. If an event or selection is already muted, click it again to unmute it. •Click an empty area of the editor grid and drag to create a selection box: any enclosed events are muted. |
•Clicking a selection which contains both muted and unmuted events results in their state being inverted.
Velocity tool
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•Click an event or selection of events and down and drag up/down to adjust their velocity: drag up to increase the velocity of the events; drag down to decrease it. |
The Velocity tool can be used on a selection of events to increase their velocities by the same amount. However, trying to adjust values beyond the velocity range results in values being clipped at the minimum or maximum value.
Event velocites can also be adjusted using the Velocity lane while any Editor tool is active - this function is described in the previous section.
Using Select tool processes while the Velocity tool is active
•When using the Velocity tool, events can be clicked to select them (and SHIFT-clicked to add to an existing selection).
•Click an empty area of the editor grid and drag to create a selection of any events enclosed by the resulting selection box.
•Selections can also be moved or copied using drag & drop in the same way as the Select tool.
Humanize tool
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The Humanize tool creates subtle randomization which approximates the variance in striking intensity and timing that can be displayed by a human drummer. •Click and drag up/down on an event or selection of events to humanize the velocity of events in the selection. |
•Click and drag left/right to humanize the timing of the events in the selection.
Using Select tool processes while the Humanize tool is active
•When using the Humanize tool, events can be clicked to select them (and SHIFT-clicked to add to/remove from an existing selection).
•Click an empty area of the editor grid and drag to create a selection of any events enclosed by the resulting selection box.
Stretch tool
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The Stretch tool allows you to stretch a selection of events so that they are grouped more closely or further apart.
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Before using the Stretch tool, it is usually necessary to click in the Ruler to create Stretch markers. These are used as anchors for the stretching process, and stretching occurs relative to them. Then, click and drag the first or last event in the selection towards the left or right to compress or stretch the events relative to the Stretch marker(s). |
Any events that exist at the exact point of a Stretch marker are not moved during Stretch operations.
If no Stretch markers are created, all stretching occurs relative to the start of the Groove.
A selection of 3 events could be stretched as follows:
•Click and drag the last note in the above selection to stretch the selection out as follows:
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•Click and drag the first event in the above selection to stretch the entire selection relative to the Stretch marker:
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Creating accelerando / decelerando effects
The Stretch tool allows you to create events that 'speed up' or 'slow down' within a period of time. This can be performed with or without Stretch markers as follows:
•First select some events (no Stretch markers are currently active).
•Click/drag the events towards the right while holding ALT to create a decelerando effect. |
•Click/drag the events towards the right while holding down the ALT key to create an accelerando effect within the bounds of the selection.
•With Stretch markers active, the effect is created relative to the markers rather than within the bounds of the selection. |
Using Select tool processes while the Stretch tool is active
•When using the Stretch tool, events can be clicked to select them (and SHIFT-clicked to add to/remove from an existing selection).
•Click an empty area of the editor grid and drag to create a selection of any events enclosed by the resulting selection box.
Paint tool
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The Paint tool, in conjunction with the Rudiments menu, offers an easy way to create a rhythmically meaningful series of events in a single action - events are created with velocity and position data to create convincing rhythmic lines like rolls, paradiddles and more. |
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Click the Rudiment button to show the Rudiments menu. This panel allows you to browse and select between various types of drumming pattern to 'paint' onto 1 or 2 lanes in the Editor grid with the Paint tool.
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Rudiments menu The Rudiments menu displays a variety of drumming patterns or 'Rudiments' which can be selected to use with the Paint tool. The currently selected Rudiment is highlighted in blue with its name listed under the Selected heading on the right side of the panel. The cursor can be moved over any other Rudiment in order to highlight its Description and musical score pattern in the displays on the right, with its name listed under the Showing heading. Each Rudiment displays a Preview button when it under the cursor. Click the button to hear a preview of the rudiment pattern with the currently loaded Snare. |
The Tempo section at the lower part of the Rudiments panel allows you to adjust the rudiment pattern to Half (x1/2), Double (x2) or Quadruple (x4) the timing of the original pattern (x1).
This section also selects between Straight, Triplet and Dotted feels.
Click any Rudiment to select it as the current Rudiment, or click the Close button to exit the panel without changing the currently selected Rudiment.
Painting with the selected Rudiment
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To paint events onto 2 articulations, first right-click on the name of the desired secondary articulation. This allows you to recreate typical left/right hand patterns on 2 Drum articulations. The secondary articulation can be considered as the 'left' hit for a right-handed drummer, or vice-versa. This function should not be used if you intend to paint onto a single articulation. |
Then, simply paint across the lane from the desired starting point for the desired articulation. Events are painted in the selected Rudiment pattern across the articulation lane(s). After creating the first event, drag up/down to adjust the velocity of the event - all subsequently painted events' velocities are created relative to that of the first event. |
The following additional actions are available before releasing the mouse button:
• Drag up/down to increase/decrease the event velocities over the course of the painted sequence.
• Drag up/down while holding down the ALT key to increase/decrease the velocity of each secondary event within the pattern - these events would occur on the secondary articulation if one has been selected previously.